Will my child’s schooling be affected by being bilingual?

This is a question I regularly hear in one form or another. For a speaker of a minority language learning in majority language school the situation is different from that of a speaker of the majority language who is learning a minority language. In the first instance it might be a first language speaker of Urdu learning English in a mainstream NZ school. The second instance might be a speaker of English learning Mandarin in a Mandarin language NZ school.

For minority language speakers learning in majority language schools (eg.ESOL students) it is essential that the school recognises, builds on and uses the child’s first language skills if academic potential is to be reached. Not doing so creates potential problems where the child is having to deal with complex learning in their weaker language and failure results in more failure with the effect on morale and self confidence that ensues. These children often experience difficulty in bringing their intellectual powers to bear unless they can be shown how to transfer those first language skills to the new language situation.

International research suggests however that a majority language learner of a minority language is benefitted by the addition of a language. It appears that being a majority language speaker means their self confidence and morale is boosted, and their intellectual abilities enhanced by the learning of the second language.

The key indicator would seem to be whether the language being learned has the effect of replacing the first language, (a subtractive bilingual programme), or of adding to the first language, (an additive bilingual programme).

Chris.